The Twilight 25
by jabberwockylove
Summary: Here you will find 25 drabbles/one-shots for The Twilight 25. These chapters are not linked in any way, and pairings will vary. Canon.
1. Aesthetic

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Aesthetic

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Jasper

**Rating:** K

* * *

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended. **

* * *

He ran quickly out of the house and into the deep forest, the medley of voices behind him growing softer and softer until they faded away.

Here, in the absence of the usual blasts of happiness, anger, jealousy, envy, annoyance, lust and sorrow hitting him from every angle, he breathed a sigh of relief, lay down on the dewy grass, and stared up at the cloudless blue sky peeking out from above the green canopies.

Jasper took in the quiet beauty surrounding him, and he smiled at the knowledge that the feeling of contentment running through him was all his.

* * *

**A/N:** **This is an entry for The Twilight 25 – a LiveJournal community challenging writers to produce 25 drabbles/one-shots using a series of predetermined prompts over a three-month time period. All 25 submissions are due 1st December 2009.**

**For more information about the Twilight 25, visit http://thetwilight25(dot)livejournal(dot)com**


	2. Crave

**The Twilight Twenty-Five** 

**Prompt:** Crave

**Pen name**: Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Rosalie

**Rating:** K

* * *

"Mommy?"

Startled, Rosalie dropped the Manolos she was carrying and gazed down at the curly-headed toddler clutching at her jeans.

The child stared up at her, still holding on tightly. His face crumpled in confusion as he took in the stranger before him.

Rosalie froze.

"Mommy?" His voice rose into a wail.

Suddenly a statuesque blonde, gorgeous even in her frazzled state, swooped down upon them.

"Henry, I told you to stay put." She shepherded the boy away, throwing a quick "I'm sorry" over her shoulder.

_Henry? Mommy? _Pressing her lips together, Rosalie strode quickly out of the store.


	3. Play

**The Twilight Twenty-Five** 

**Prompt:** Play

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Jane

**Rating:** K

* * *

The woman stares at me, eyes crazed with fear. My face wears its usual apathetic mask as I approach, but inside, I am quivering with excitement.

"Please," she begs, voice cracking in desperation. "Help me, little girl."

_Help you? _My lip twitches slightly. _Why, certainly._

Our eyes lock, and I offer her a wide, cherubic smile. A satisfied giggle escapes me as her body falls; an eerie howl bounces and echoes off the chamber's walls as pain and pleasure become one.

Smile off, smile on. Smile off, smile on. Who says I need to learn an instrument to make music?


	4. Sour

**The Twilight Twenty-Five** 

**Prompt:** Sour

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Edward (and Bella)

**Rating:** K

* * *

Edward liked to hear Bella talk in her sleep. Even dead to the world, she never ceased to amuse him, and it was a nightly pleasure of his -- looking forward to the little gems that inevitably came out of her mouth.

Sometimes she talked about food – they'd once had a confusing debate about the pros and cons of McDonald's versus Burger King. He'd won that round, campaigning for good old Ronald, even though he had not the faintest idea what any of the food tasted like.

A couple of times she'd dreamt about her mother. Edward had learnt a lot about Bella's relationship with Renee this way – that Renee had needed Bella to look after her as much as the child had needed her mother, and that Bella sometimes thought of Renee more as a scatterbrained friend than as a parental figure.

Every so often, she'd talk about hunting. Not human-style hunting, but, from what he could decipher, the vampire kind. It unsettled him no end to hear his wonderfully human Bella murmur things like, 'So what does grizzly taste like, anyway?' How she could so cavalierly give up her life in exchange for a heinous, undead existence boggled his mind. She'd told him time and time again that her human life didn't matter as much to her as a life with him forever did, but he wasn't convinced. It wasn't right for her to give up her family and her friends just like that, and despite the promise he'd made her, Edward couldn't bear to be the one to make her join the ranks of the damned.

Now Bella's breathing slowed, and Edward, lying next to her, smiled in anticipation of the nightly performance. Her unconscious thoughts seemed, more often than not, to gravitate around him, and he always felt a thrill of happiness whenever she mentioned his name, however fleetingly. He propped himself up on his elbows and waited expectantly. He wasn't disappointed.

"Edward…" she murmured sleepily. "Edward, tell Alice no." Edward smiled and leaned over her slightly, eager to hear more. "No Versace." He stifled a laugh as Bella continued. "I like my jeans. Don't need Versace dress. Tell Alice." Edward grinned in amusement and softly replied, "OK, Bella, I'll tell her. No Versace. I promise." Still deep in sleep, she murmured something incomprehensible even to his ears, and then fell silent.

Edward leant back against the headboard, and his smile widened as he heard her giggle softly.

"Stop it. Tickles." He leant over her once more, eager to add to the conversation, and the smile on his face faltered at her next words. "Jacob, stop it. It tickles." She laughed softly, then mumbled and turned over.

Edward stared at her. It shouldn't have come as a surprise. Jacob was her best friend, after all. He had been there for her when he, Edward, had abandoned her. It was only to be expected that Jacob would infiltrate her thoughts. He was someone Bella cared deeply about.

Bella laughed softly again, and a small smiled played about her mouth, though her tone was complaining. "Too…tight. Can't…breathe. You always hug too hard, Jake. Oh, but you're so warm." She sighed contentedly.

Edward's heart sank, and despite the cloying sweetness of his venom, Bella's words and the joy they apparently afforded her left a strange taste in his mouth.


	5. Erosion

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**  
Prompt:** Erosion

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Chelsea (and Cullens)

**Rating:** K

* * *

The intangible bands sway under her expert manipulations. Intangible – and yet her mind manoeuvres them effortlessly, pulling until, one by one, they yield. Allies turn on each other; age-old friendships are tested and broken. So it has always been, without fail. Until now.

Chelsea frowns in determination, but the invisible elastic stretches easily, refusing to give.

She pulls savagely with all her might, and her eyes widen in disbelief as the band springs away from her mental grasp.

_Marcus was right!_

The Elder's soft voice, for once filled with wonderment, floats through her mind:

_Stronger than anything I've ever encountered…_


	6. Plea

**The Twilight Twenty-Five** 

Prompt: Plea

Pen name: Jabberwockylove

Pairing: Renee/Bella

Rating: K

* * *

"Please!" Bella begged. "Please, Mom! I don't want to go to Forks anymore! It's boring there, and I hate it! I hate the cold, the rain, fishing. I hate being forced to play with Rachel and Rebecca Black. They have each other, and they don't want me!"

She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "I even hate all the green! It's…unnatural!" She stared at Renee imploringly. "Dad can come here, or we can go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Just not Forks! Mom? Please? You hated it there too!"

Renee stared at her daughter, then sighed. "I'll tell Charlie."


	7. Walls

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Walls

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Emmett (and Rosalie)

**Rating:** K+

* * *

All people see is that Rosalie is gorgeous. Strangers do double-takes whenever she walks by.

The other thing they see is that she's mean. 'Snotty', they whisper. 'Bitch.'

She just laughs.

Our family knows there's more to her than that, but even with them, she wears her mask. And so they label her 'vain' and 'self-absorbed'.

It's only when we're alone that she casts aside the 'I'm a beautiful bitch' persona. Only when we're alone does the real her emerge – funny, loving, tender, sexy. And beautiful, of course.

Rosalie is beautiful, yes. But she's also so much more.


	8. Retribution

**The Twilight Twenty-Five** 

**Prompt:** Retribution

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Leah

**Rating:** T - M (for language, depending on your view)

* * *

Leah felt like the world's collective forces had come together to punish her for something. Trouble was, she had no idea what it was she'd done that was so terrible. She wished she knew. Perhaps then she could start to atone for her misdeeds, and hopefully this fucking nightmare would end.

Or perhaps nightmare was too mild a term. But then, she didn't know if there was a suitable word that could accurately describe her fiancé leaving her, for no clear reason that she could discern, for her practically-sister cousin. Oh, Sam had apologised, of course, and she'd even thought the tears in his eyes had looked real. But somehow, she didn't think that "I'm sorry, Leah. I love you, but I have no choice" was adequate compensation for the fact that the person she'd loved most in the world had ripped her heart right out of her chest. And, moreover, "I love you, but I have no choice?" What did that even fucking mean? He didn't have a choice? Bullshit. Of course he had a choice! They lived in America, not freaking Afghanistan! Yes, Sam had a choice, and he chose to throw away everything they had and could have had in favour of someone he barely knew. It was something Leah just could not, _would not,_understand.

**

Leah stared down at the little red felt heart that had fallen out of the book in her hand, unable to tear her eyes away from the L & S decoratively written in bold, black marker. The painful memories of a year ago had come flooding back, and for the best part of an hour she'd relived the nightmare, feeling the familiar, paralysing hurt consume her inside out in a way she had sworn it never again would. Shaking herself out of her stupor, Leah slammed the heart into the book, threw it viciously across the room and turned to the chest of drawers beside her, intent on doing something to take her mind of her traitorous ex-fiance. The past was the past. That had all happened almost a year ago, and it didn't do anyone any good, least of all her, to dwell on it. For reasons best known to himself, Sam had chosen Emily over her, and that was all there was to it. Sam was a jerk and life went on. Savagely, she took hold of a drawer and dumped its contents upside down onto the floor. She paused, her eyes straying to the collection of small, identical school exercise books lying in a heap next to her knee. She'd forgotten those even existed.

Leah picked up the notebooks, tearing out the pages fiercely and ripping them into angry, uneven squares. Pages which had housed years of hopes and dreams and scribblings of 'Leah Uley', 'Leah Clearwater-Uley', 'Sam and Leah always' and 'Leah loves Sam' in various handwritings that reflected the passage of time were reduced to nothing in a matter of seconds. Her mouth set defiantly, Leah scooped up two handfuls of the confetti she'd created and dumped them in the bin as a fat tear escaped and landed on a square on which she'd naively written in big curly letters, FOREVER.


	9. Platonic

**The Twilight Twenty-Five** 

**Prompt:** Platonic

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Bella

**Rating:** K

* * *

Bella was telling herself that Jacob was just her friend.

_He's your friend, Bella._

_That's all._

_He's your best friend. _

_No more than friends._

Bella was telling herself that Edward was the love of her life.

_You love Edward, Bella._

_Remember how it was when he left? _

_Edward's your soulmate._

_You love Edward Cullen._

Bella told herself that she loved Edward, that Jacob was just her best friend and that she couldn't have her cake and eat it too. She had to cut Jacob loose. It was the right thing. So why did it feel like she was dying inside?


	10. Jealousy

**The Twilight Twenty-Five** 

**Prompt:** Jealousy

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Alice

**Rating:** K

* * *

It wasn't often Alice felt melancholy, but sometimes it was impossible to see happy families together and not feel a pang of longing.

It was silly, she knew. The Cullens adored her, and Jasper would do anything for her, and more. And besides, it wasn't like she remembered anything. Her past was a void, and it was stupid to yearn for something she didn't know.

But even so, she sometimes felt like she'd missed out on something wonderful, and try as she might, she couldn't quite quash the voice inside her that whispered, childlike, plaintively, 'Why didn't they want me?'


	11. Awkward

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Awkward

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Charlie

**Rating:** T – M (depending on your view)

* * *

Charlie Swan was having a bad time of it. He'd been shifting restlessly on the couch for an hour now, absentmindedly twiddling the remote between his fingers, his mind only half on the game in front of him.

"It's okay," he muttered to himself, speaking with more conviction than he felt. "You're her father. It's healthy to talk about these things. It's no big deal." He nodded firmly, then shook his head and slumped further down into the couch. Who was he kidding? It was a big deal. They were built out of the same mould when it came to these things, Bella and he, and such a conversation would be the epitome of hell for both of them.

He sighed. It was times like these that he wished there was a woman in the house – any woman. A woman would know how to broach a subject like this. A woman would know how to talk to Bella about sex.

Bella. Sex. The two words together filled him with dread, and he cringed. It was a talk he would gladly have tabled, preferably forever, but he couldn't put off any longer. Bella was getting closer to Edward every day, and it was important she knew all the facts and what she was getting herself into. He certainly couldn't trust that Edward Cullen to do be responsible and do the right thing. No. Bella was his daughter. He would just have to suck it up and get it over with.

Charlie checked his watch and sighed with relief. 9.30. Bella wouldn't be home for a couple of hours yet. This could wait for a bit, and meanwhile, the Mariners were winning. Putting all thoughts of sex, condoms, STDs and unwanted pregnancies out of his mind, he turned his attention back to the screen as raucous cheers blared out of the speaker, filling the living room.


	12. Raindrops

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Raindrops

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Bella, Renesmee

**Rating:** K

* * *

The drops fell warmly on Bella's face, running in rivulets down her cheeks before dissolving into nothingness. As she walked hand in hand with her daughter towards their cabin, the world dewy and shimmering around her, Bella marvelled that she'd once hated rain. Were her human senses really so bad that she couldn't smell the crisp _newness_ of the air, the--

A tug on her hand interrupted Bella's reverie, and she gazed down, smiling.

"I like rain, Mommy," Renesmee said loudly as she tried in vain to lick a drop off her nose.

Bella laughed. "Me too, honey. Me too."


	13. Worship

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

Prompt: Worship

Pen name: Jabberwockylove

Pairing: Seth

Rating: K

* * *

For as long as he could remember, Seth Clearwater had been in awe of Jacob Black. He was just like the heroes in comic books – as fast and as strong as Batman, Spiderman or any of the Marvel Superheroes. And he built cars practically with his bare hands. Seth thought Jacob was the epitome of cool.

His sister Leah often complained that he was being annoying.

"He doesn't want _you_ around him," she said, but Seth didn't care. Jake was always nice to him, and as long he didn't mind him hanging around, it didn't matter who else did.


	14. Touch

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Touch

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Alice/Jasper

**Rating:** T

* * *

Alice ran a feather-light finger around his collarbone, and Jasper groaned softly, his breathing intensifying as her finger trailed down his chest, stopping often to trace the innumerable scars covering his body. Nobody had ever touched him like that – so lightly, carefully, tenderly. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation.

"Jasper," Alice murmured. "Tell me about them."

"About what?"

"About your scars. There must be a plethora of thrilling tales covering your body."

Jasper chuckled. "They're not that thrilling. Besides, there are thousands of them. It will be long and boring."

Alice grinned. "I've got nothing but time," she whispered.


	15. wood

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Wood

**Pen name: **Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Jacob

**Rating:** K

* * *

Jacob frowned as he studied the wood minutely. At last satisfied, he picked up his knife, whistling happily as he started to carve.

He knew he didn't have Edward Cullen's advantage. He couldn't afford to buy Bella fancy jewellery or pretty dresses, but God had given him good hands to use, and that he could damn well do.

After all, as the saying went, 'out of sight, out of mind'. Jacob knew he couldn't always be in Bella's sight, but he certainly wouldn't be out of mind – the little wolf taking shape under his fingers would see to that.


	16. Stagnant

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Stagnant

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Leah

**Rating:** K

* * *

_It's funny how you never want something until you know it's out of your grasp, _Leah mused silently as she sat on the beach staring at the lone family out in the water, the wind carrying the children's excited screams through the air, whipping them back and forth.

She didn't know if she wanted kids. Chances were she didn't. After all, she'd never liked them. Having options was what she wanted, but as it was, the only option it seemed she had was to be stuck as a barren 19-year-old for the better part of forever.

Great. Just great (!)


	17. Sky

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Sky

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Esme

**Rating:** T

* * *

Esme Platt stood precariously at the edge of the cliff. Surprisingly, she felt no fear. She stared down at the waves crashing against the craggy rocks, a faraway look in her eyes.

Life had not been at all what Esme expected. Young and passionate, she'd spent her childhood dreaming of all that growing up would bring.

Instead, at 26, she found herself with nothing.

_Nothing._

The finality of the word hit her, solidifying the decision she'd come to carry out.

_The sun is shining._

With a peaceful smile, Esme gazed far ahead to the horizon and stepped off the ledge.


	18. Juvenile

**The Twilight Twenty-Five **

** Prompt:** Juvenile

** Pen name: **Jabberwockylove

** Pairing:** Bella

** Rating:** K

* * *

**A/N: This is an attempt at a note Bella might have written to Jacob when he runs away at the end of Eclipse/beginning of Breaking Dawn. Also, FFN won't accept strikethroughs, so I tried to replicate them with dashes before and after each line. Doesn't quite have the same effect, though. **

* * *

_---Jacob, I'm sorry--_

_--Jacob, please call me. I miss you, and I want to know--_

_--Jacob, I'm worried about you. Charlie's worried about you. He's putting up missing posters, for God's sake. Why won't--_

_--Jacob Black, how selfish are you? Billy--_

_--I love you, Jake. You're my best friend. That will never change. Please come back.--_

_ Yeah, just run away when things don't go your way, Jacob. That's mature. Real mature._

Frustrated, Bella stared for a full minute at the crossed-out, ink-blotted mess of a note she knew Jacob would never read, then threw it fiercely into the bin.


	19. soft

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Soft

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing: **Emmett/Rosalie

**Rating:** K

* * *

"Come on, Emmett."

"No, thanks."

"Here."

"But…she's so tiny. What if--?"

"You won't hurt her. She seems to take after Edward, not Bella."

Worried, Emmett stared at Rosalie. She smiled, holding the baby out towards him.

"Just hold her," she said reassuringly.

"But, Rose, I've never…" He trailed off as she placed the baby against his chest, his arms rising instinctively to cradle her protectively towards him.

Renesmee yawned suddenly, and as he gazed down at the warm bundle squirming in his arms, Emmett couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face.

"Hello, Renesmee," he whispered. "I'm Uncle Emmett.


	20. Vivid

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Vivid

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Alice

**Rating:** K

* * *

_Bella stood looking down the edge of the craggy precipice._

Thousands of miles away, Alice sat up abruptly in alarm, her eyes widening at the crystal-clear scene only she could see.

"Bella?" She whispered uncertainly. "What are you doing?"

The image changed, and she cried out, oblivious to the wood splintering under her grip.

"Bella," she choked. "No."

She waited. Bella did not surface.

Alice shook her head as if to strike out the offending pictures and tried to convince herself that this was one of the times she was wrong.

But inside she knew – her vision was true.


	21. Light

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Light

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Edward

**Rating:** K

* * *

The melodious strains of Silent Night led him, trance-like, towards the little wooden church at the end of the street.

Inside, the mass was in full swing, the flickering flames of a hundred candles the only light from within.

Edward stood outside listening to the foreign-yet-familiar rituals taking place – now the Lord's Prayer – and as it concluded and the priest declared, "Let us offer each other a sign of peace", he watched as an old couple turned to kiss each other with whispers of "I love you."

Edward fell to his knees, whispering brokenly, "Bella. Bella. Bella."


	22. Heart

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Heart

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Jacob (and Bella)

**Rating:** K

* * *

**March 2005**

It was strange that Jacob Black should find himself so stuck on Isabella Swan. After all, it wasn't as if he'd never met her before. In fact, when he thought about it, he realised he'd never _not_ known her. But back when she was just Charlie Swan's sometimes-daughter, making forced conversation with his sisters, and he was running around chasing his remote-controlled racing cars, he never really noticed when she came or left.

Today he definitely noticed her.

There was something about Bella. Jacob couldn't quite put his finger on it, but perhaps it had something to do with the way her hair glinted in the sunlight – shades of auburn and mahogany weaving in and out of the brown. She'd walked beside him on the beach, head dipped low, eyes studying the shells littering the sand, and he'd fought the urge to tuck her hair behind her ears – to push it back so that he could see her face. She was pretty – not the showy, made-up sort of pretty that girls seemed to go for all the time these days, but a _real_ sort of pretty.

He couldn't wait to see her again.

* * *

**January 2006**

Jacob sucked in a breath as he took in the almost-unrecognisable girl standing in front of him. The glossy hair he'd once so admired now lay thin around her shoulders, and her emaciated frame sagged. Looking at her, Jacob silently wondered how she managed to keep herself upright at all.

She offered him a small smile now, and a pang shot through him as he took in the mammoth effort it was obviously costing her. Mentally, he compared the image of the Bella he remembered from less than a year ago to the ghostly pale, sad-eyed waif now standing in front of him. The change was incredible. If he didn't know better, he would have bet money he didn't have that it wasn't the same girl. Jacob had heard the tales, of course – heard Sam's description of Bella lying comatose in the woods; heard the despair in Charlie's voice as he counselled with Billy, but he'd never imagined it was anything this bad.

One thing was clear – Edward Cullen had taken something from Bella. And as he resisted the urge to envelope her into his arms and hug all her hurt and sadness away, Jacob hoped beyond hope that he would be able to find and replace whatever had been taken.

* * *

**February 2006**

Jacob lifted his eyes from his homework and gazed at Bella sprawled on her tummy next to him, her forehead creased in concentration as she battled with the algebra in front of her. She lifted her head, and, catching Jacob staring at her, raised her eyebrows in question. He flashed her a grin, and she smiled back, casting a pointed glance at his own blank notebook before turning her head back to her work.

**

It had been the best month of Jacob Black's life. Every day brought a new level of happiness, and despite the fact that he and Bella rarely did what people would call_ exciting_ or even _new_, Jacob didn't care. Riding motorcycles and the inevitable trips to the ER that ensued; hunting for a mysterious meadow that meant nothing to him; fixing his Rabbit, or even doing homework – it was all the same to him. Being with Bella was what mattered, and as long as they were together, he didn't mind if they stayed at his house all day, picking lint off his carpet.

It sounded pathetic and cheesy, even in his mind, and he knew his friends would never let him hear the end of it if they ever found out, but Jacob thought Bella was all kinds of wonderful, and with every passing day, he found himself just a little more in love with her.


	23. Mirror

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Mirror

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Emily

**Rating:** K

* * *

Years had passed, and she rarely even thought about them anymore. But sometimes when she saw her image reflected back at her, Emily couldn't help but notice her imperfections.

Imperfections. It was quite the euphemism. But 'scars' and 'disfigurements' had unpleasant connotations and sounded so harsh. So she'd settled on referring to them as 'imperfections'.

In the beginning, she'd tried everything she could to cover them up – foundations, concealers. But nothing worked, and in time, she'd given up. After all, it hadn't changed her. She was still the same person she'd always been. She just had a little more…character.


	24. Voracious

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Voracious

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Paul (and Sam)

**Rating:** K

* * *

It was always a case of 'so close, and yet so far'. Every time it seemed they had her cornered, somehow, miraculously, she would evade them.

It was like a game, only no one was laughing.

Paul snarled as the red-headed vamp slowly walked the length of the forest, taunting them.

_Sam… _His voice was pleading. _She's so close! Just let me--_

The Alpha shook his head. _We can't violate the treaty, Paul. _

The hot-tempered wolf rumbled angrily, baring his teeth menacingly in the direction of the vampire.

_Just you wait, bloodsucker. We'll get you. You can count on it._


	25. Crusade

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**

**Prompt:** Crusade

**Pen name:** Jabberwockylove

**Pairing:** Rosalie/Royce

**Rating:** K+

* * *

The long white gown swished silently against her feet as she slipped stealthily, cat-like, across the vast courtyard. The moon was hidden behind the thick, voluminous clouds, but despite the utter blackness, Rosalie's feet were sure. She didn't need light to be able to see clearly – it was one of the few perks of her new existence.

She started across the smooth asphalt slowly, frowning as the sweet scent of two unfamiliar humans pervaded the air and infiltrated her nostrils. Taking care of Royce and his friends was one thing; killing innocents was another altogether. She stopped and listened for a moment, then smiled with amusement as she caught the soft clanging of metal against belt buckles. Guards. The coward had hired guards to protect him. What a joke. As if anything could save him. Tonight, Royce King II would be completely at her mercy; the way she'd been at his that fateful night.

Rosalie's smile faded as the memories flitted like a picture book in her mind. Her human life was for the most part a blur, but this particular memory, the one that had festered unrelentingly in her mind for a year now, was crystal clear. Carlisle had said it was because she'd clung to it so fiercely. He'd urged her to live and let live; to forgive and forget, but how could she forget what that those _gentlemen_ had done to her; what they'd taken from her? No, it was not in her power to forget, and certainly not to forgive. She was a damsel in distress no longer. Royce would scream as she had screamed, and he would beg as she had done. She would accept nothing less.

**

Rosalie kicked the two bodies away smoothly, watching as they rolled soundlessly onto the grass. Four murders – six, including the two latest – and still it amazed her just how easy it was. Who would have guessed that behind those long, perfectly manicured fingers hid such deadly strength? She examined them minutely, then smiled in satisfaction. Not even a chipped nail. Straightening up, she squared her shoulders. It was time. Seven had always been her lucky number.

Rosalie strode to the door, and with a swift kick, reduced it to ribbons around her. Delicately skirting the debris, she swept her eyes around the tiny space, spotting, and at the same time, smelling, her victim huddling in a corner. She scoffed inwardly. How could she have ever thought that this whimpering coward was her prince?

She took a small step forward into the light.

There was a deadly silence.

"R-R-Rosalie?" His voice pierced the air, shaking slightly as his face registered disbelief and fear. Whoever it was he was hiding from, it didn't appear to be her.

Rosalie's lip curled as a wave of pure hatred welled up inside her, but she quelled it instantly, plastering a dazzling smile on to her already lovely face as she slowly drew closer to him.

"Hello, Royce."

"Rose… Rose. Darling," Royce stammered as he looked her up and down. "You—You look beautiful."

At that, Rosalie felt her façade of self-control slip, and abandoning all pretenses, crossed the room in one fluid motion.

As he screamed and futilely tried to back away from her, Rosalie laughed. The silvery sound of bells ringing through the air was the last thing Royce King II ever heard.


End file.
